Static random access memory (SRAM) density scaling by using middle of line (MOL) flow

ABSTRACT

A method is presented for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes forming gate contacts on a semiconductor substrate, forming trench silicide (TS) contacts on the semiconductor substrate, recessing the TS contacts to form a gap region, filling the gap region of the recessed TS contacts with a dielectric, selectively etching the gate contacts to form a first conducting layer, and selectively etching the TS contacts to form a second conducting layer.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, andmore specifically, to SRAM density scaling by using middle of line (MOL)flow.

Description of the Related Art

Since the development of integrated circuits, the potential for reducedsignal propagation time and increased functionality of individual chips,as well as manufacturing economy, has driven development of increases inintegration density and scaling of individual circuit elements thereinto smaller sizes. This incentive for scaling is particularly strong formemory devices, which have approximately quadrupled in capacity everythree years.

Semiconductor memory devices include, for example, a static randomaccess memory (SRAM) and a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). A DRAMmemory cell generally includes one transistor and one capacitor, therebyproviding a high degree of integration. DRAM, however, requires constantrefreshing, which limits the use of DRAM to computer main memory. AnSRAM memory cell, by contrast, is bi-stable, meaning that it canmaintain its state statically and indefinitely, so long as adequatepower is supplied. SRAM also supports high speed operation, with lowerpower dissipation, which is useful for computer cache memory.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment, a method is provided for performingstatic random access memory (SRAM) density scaling. The method includesforming gate contacts on a semiconductor substrate, forming trenchsilicide (TS) contacts on the semiconductor substrate, recessing the TScontacts to form a gap region, filling the gap region of the recessed TScontacts with a dielectric, selectively etching the gate contacts toform a first conducting layer, and selectively etching the TS contactsto form a second conducting layer.

In accordance with another embodiment, a semiconductor device isprovided. The semiconductor device includes gate contacts formed on asemiconductor substrate and trench silicide (TS) contacts formed on thesemiconductor substrate, the TS contacts recessed to form a gap region.The gap region of the recessed TS contacts is filled with a dielectric,the gate contacts are selectively etched to form a first conductinglayer, and the TS contacts are selectively etched to form a secondconducting layer.

It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments are described withreference to different subject-matters. In particular, some embodimentsare described with reference to method type claims whereas otherembodiments have been described with reference to apparatus type claims.However, a person skilled in the art will gather from the above and thefollowing description that, unless otherwise notified, in addition toany combination of features belonging to one type of subject-matter,also any combination between features relating to differentsubject-matters, in particular, between features of the method typeclaims, and features of the apparatus type claims, is considered as tobe described within this document.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will provide details in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure includinggate contacts and trench silicide (TS) contacts, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 1illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contacts,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 1where the TS contacts are recessed, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 3illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsafter recessing of the TS contacts is performed, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 3where the recessed TS sections are filled with a dielectric, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 5illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsafter the TS contacts are filled with the dielectric, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 5where the gate contacts are metallized, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 7illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsincluding the added metallization layer, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 7where the TS contacts are metallized, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 9illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsincluding the added metallization layers for both gate and TS contacts,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a top-down or layout view of the SRAM memory, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 11 where TS masksare applied, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 12 where TSmetallization takes place, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 14 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 13 where TS contactsare recessed and filled with a dielectric, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 14 where CB isformed for gate contacts, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 16 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 15 where CA isformed for TS contacts, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 17 is a block/flow diagram of an exemplary method for performingstatic random access memory (SRAM) density scaling, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, same or similar reference numerals representthe same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a method forperforming static random access memory (SRAM) density scaling. Themethod includes forming gate contacts on a semiconductor substrate,forming trench silicide (TS) contacts on the semiconductor substrate,recessing the TS contacts to form a gap region, filling the gap regionof the recessed TS contacts with a dielectric, selectively etching thegate contacts to form a first conducting layer, and selectively etchingthe TS contacts to form a second conducting layer.

In one or more embodiments, the middle of line (MOL) flow is modified inorder to get aggressive CB-to-CA (ohmic contact to self-aligned contact)scaling by using selective dielectrics. Since trench silicide (TS) levelis used in MOL, the TS is recessed and filled with a dielectric (such asSiC/SiCN) that can protect TS during CB (gate contact) formation. Oncethe CB is formed, the CAs are used to etch the high-k selectively tonitride to contact TS, as well as to form cross-couples.

In one or more embodiments, the CB to TS can be pushed further than 34nm and the high-k layer prevents any CB-to-TS shorts. A s a result, thecross-couple is prevented by the presence of the high-k layer.

As used herein, “semiconductor device” refers to an intrinsicsemiconductor material that has been doped, that is, into which a dopingagent has been introduced, giving it different electrical propertiesthan the intrinsic semiconductor. Doping involves adding dopant atoms toan intrinsic semiconductor, which changes the electron and hole carrierconcentrations of the intrinsic semiconductor at thermal equilibrium.Dominant carrier concentration in an extrinsic semiconductor determinesthe conductivity type of the semiconductor.

A “gate structure” means a structure used to control output current(i.e., flow of carriers in the channel) of a semiconducting devicethrough electrical or magnetic fields.

As used herein, the term “drain” means a doped region in thesemiconductor device located at the end of the channel, in whichcarriers are flowing out of the transistor through the drain.

As used herein, the term “source” is a doped region in the semiconductordevice, in which majority carriers are flowing into the channel.

The term “direct contact” or “directly on” means that a first element,such as a first structure, and a second element, such as a secondstructure, are connected without any intermediary conducting, insulatingor semiconductor layers at the interface of the two elements.

The terms “overlying”, “atop”, “positioned on” or “positioned atop”means that a first element, such as a first structure, is present on asecond element, such as a second structure, wherein interveningelements, such as an interface structure can be present between thefirst element and the second element.

The term “electrically connected” means either directly electricallyconnected, or indirectly electrically connected, such that interveningelements are present; in an indirect electrical connection, theintervening elements can include inductors and/or transformers.

The term “crystalline material” means any material that issingle-crystalline, multi-crystalline, or polycrystalline.

The term “non-crystalline material” means any material that is notcrystalline; including any material that is amorphous, nano-crystalline,or micro-crystalline.

The term “intrinsic material” means a semiconductor material which issubstantially free of doping atoms, or in which the concentration ofdopant atoms is less than 10¹⁵ atoms/cm³.

As used herein, the terms “insulating” and “dielectric” denote amaterial having a room temperature conductivity of less than about 10⁻¹⁰(Ω-m)⁻¹.

As used herein, “p-type” refers to the addition of impurities to anintrinsic semiconductor that creates deficiencies of valence electrons.In a silicon-containing substrate, examples of n-type dopants, i.e.,impurities, include but are not limited to: boron, aluminum, gallium andindium.

As used herein, “n-type” refers to the addition of impurities thatcontributes free electrons to an intrinsic semiconductor. In a siliconcontaining substrate examples of n-type dopants, i.e., impurities,include but are not limited to antimony, arsenic and phosphorous.

As used herein, an “anisotropic etch process” denotes a material removalprocess in which the etch rate in the direction normal to the surface tobe etched is greater than in the direction parallel to the surface to beetched. The anisotropic etch can include reactive-ion etching (RIE).

Reactive ion etching (RIE) is a form of plasma etching in which duringetching the surface to be etched is placed on the RF powered electrode.Moreover, during RIE the surface to be etched takes on a potential thataccelerates the etching species extracted from plasma toward thesurface, in which the chemical etching reaction is taking place in thedirection normal to the surface. Other examples of anisotropic etchingthat can be used include ion beam etching, plasma etching or laserablation.

The term “processing” as used herein includes deposition of material orphotoresist, patterning, exposure, development, etching, cleaning,stripping, implanting, doping, stressing, layering, and/or removal ofthe material or photoresist as required in forming a describedstructure.

Exemplary types of semiconductor devices include planar field effecttransistors (FETs), fin-type field effect transistors (FinFETs),nanowire/nanosheet devices, vertical field effect transistors (VFETs),or other devices.

It is to be understood that the present invention will be described interms of a given illustrative architecture; however, otherarchitectures, structures, substrate materials and process features andsteps/blocks can be varied within the scope of the present invention. Itshould be noted that certain features cannot be shown in all figures forthe sake of clarity. This is not intended to be interpreted as alimitation of any particular embodiment, or illustration, or scope ofthe claims.

Various illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below.In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementationare described in this specification. It will of course be appreciatedthat in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effortmight be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routineundertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit ofthis invention.

The present subject matter will now be described with reference to theattached figures. Various structures, systems and devices areschematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation onlyand so as to not obscure the present invention with details that arewell known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attacheddrawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples ofthe present invention. The words and phrases used herein should beunderstood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with theunderstanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in therelevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., adefinition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning asunderstood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied byconsistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a termor phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning otherthan that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition willbe expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional mannerthat directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for theterm or phrase.

The present invention relates to metal semiconductor alloy contacts. A“metal semiconductor alloy” is an alloy of a metal and semiconductor. Analloy is homogeneous mixture or solid solution, in which the atoms ofthe metal are replacing or occupying interstitial positions between theatoms of the semiconductor.

The metal semiconductor alloy contacts can be formed to semiconductordevices, such as field effect transistors (FETS). A field effecttransistor (FET) is a semiconductor device in which output current,i.e., source-drain current, is controlled by the voltage applied to agate structure. A field effect transistor (FET) has three terminals,i.e., a gate structure, a source and a drain region. The gate structureis a structure used to control output current, i.e., flow of carriers inthe channel portion, of a semiconducting device, such as a field effecttransistor (FET), through electrical or magnetic fields. The channelportion of the substrate is the region between the source region and thedrain region of a semiconductor device that becomes conductive when thesemiconductor device is turned on. The source region is a doped regionin the semiconductor device, in which majority carriers are flowing intothe channel portion. The drain region is the doped region insemiconductor device located at the end of the channel portion, in whichcarriers are flowing out of the semiconductor device through the drainregion.

When forming semiconductor devices, such as field effect transistors,using replacement gate methods, the metal semiconductor alloy contactsto the source and drain regions of the semiconductor device aretypically formed in a trench, i.e., via opening, that extends through adielectric layer. The dielectric layer also provides the opening to thechannel portion of the semiconductor substrate that contains thefunctioning gate structure, once the sacrificial gate has been removed.It has been determined that forming metal semiconductor alloy contactson the upper surface of the source region and the drain region that isdefined by the trench opening results in increased resistance of thecontact to the channel portion of the substrate. More specifically, incomparison to metal semiconductor alloy contacts that are not confinedwithin the trench, and extend along an entire upper surface of thesource and drain regions substantially to the sidewall of the gatestructure, metal semiconductor alloy contacts that are contained withintrenches increase the resistance of the contact. The metal semiconductoralloy contacts that are contained within trenches have an increasedresistance, because a semiconductor region that is free of higherconductivity metal is present between the metal semiconductor alloycontact that is contained within the trench and the channel portion ofthe semiconductor device.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure includinggate contacts and trench silicide (TS) contacts, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

During front end-of-the-line processing, a plurality of semiconductordevices (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, and the like) areformed on a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor devices are thenlocally interconnected during middle-of-the-line (MEOL) processing toproduce an integrated circuit, such as a logic circuit or a memory cell.To enable the local interconnection of the semiconductor devices duringMEOL processing, device-level plugs are formed in ohmic contact with theelectrically-active areas of the substrate (commonly designated as “RX”)and the gate conductors (commonly designated as “PC”), and localinterconnect lines are formed in ohmic contact with the device-levelplugs. In many cases, such as in certain replacement gate-basedprocesses, the local interconnect lines and device-level plugs can bedivided into three general categories: (i) trench-with-late-silicidecontacts (referred to herein as “TS contacts”) in ohmic contact with RX;(ii) local interconnect lines (referred to herein as “CA contacts”) inohmic contact with the TS contacts; and (iii) plugs in ohmic contactwith PC (referred to herein as “CB contacts”). The TS, CA, and CBcontacts are collectively referred to herein as the “local contacts.”The local contacts can also include shared TS/CB contacts, which providean electrically-bridged connection to both RX and PC. After formation ofthe local contacts, the fabrication process advances to backend-of-the-line (BEOL) processing during which additional BEOL layersare formed to globally interconnect the integrated circuits, which aresubsequently separated into individual die during wafer dicing.

From one circuit generation or node to the next, critical dimensions arecontinually reduced and pattern densities are continually increased. Toenable the production of highly dense circuit layouts, MEOL patterningprocesses have been developed wherein multiple masks are utilized topattern the dielectric layers deposited over the semiconductor devices(e.g., the pre-metal dielectric layer and the overlying inter-metaldielectric layer), which are subsequently filled with metal and polishedto produce the local contacts. The CA contacts can thus be printed witha first mask and a first illumination source, while the CB contacts areprinted with a second mask and a second illumination source. To achievean extremely fine resolution, the CA contacts can be printed to have aunidirectional orientation; that is, the CA contacts can be printed assmall trench-like structures, which are elongated along the maximum axisof the circuit layout, but extremely narrow along the minimum axis. TheCB contacts, however, are typically not so constrained and can beprinted to have a bidirectional orientation; that is, the CB contactscan extend along both the maximum and minimum axes of the circuitlayout.

In densely-patterned circuits, such as SRAM cells included withinsemiconductor nodes equal to or less than 20 nm, geometry-driven designrules can exclude the usage of copper in the metallization of contactlevels containing non-unidirectional local contacts. In the case ofconventionally-produced circuits, the bidirectional CB contactstypically extend downward through the local interconnect level in whichthe CA contacts are formed and into an upper portion of thedevice-contact level in which the TS contacts are formed.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a semiconductor structure 5 includes asemiconductor substrate 10. A gate insulation layer 12 is formed overportions of the substrate 10. TS contacts 16 are formed adjacent gatecontacts or structures 18, 20. Gate structure 18 includes a gate cap 19and sidewall spacers 23, whereas gate structure 20 includes a gate cap21 and sidewall spacers 23. Sidewall spacers 23 are formed adjacent oron opposed ends of the gate contacts 18, 20. In the example embodiment,three TS contacts 16 are shown and two gate contacts 18, 20 are shown.Of course, one skilled in the art may contemplate a plurality of TScontacts and gate contacts formed over the semiconductor substrate 10. Adielectric 14 is deposited adjacent two of the TS contacts 16. Thedielectric 14 can be, e.g., an interlevel dielectric (ILD).

Moreover, the TS contacts 16 are formed adjacent the source/drainregions 11, 13. Forming the source and drain regions 11, 13 can includeforming an in situ doped epitaxial semiconductor material adjacent theTS contacts 16. The term “epitaxial semiconductor material” denotes asemiconductor material that has been formed using an epitaxialdeposition or growth process. “Epitaxial growth and/or deposition” meansthe growth of a semiconductor material on a deposition surface of asemiconductor material, in which the semiconductor material being grownhas substantially the same crystalline characteristics as thesemiconductor material of the deposition surface. In some embodiments,when the chemical reactants are controlled and the system parameters setcorrectly, the depositing atoms arrive at the deposition surface withsufficient energy to move around on the surface and orient themselves tothe crystal arrangement of the atoms of the deposition surface. Thus, insome examples, an epitaxial film deposited on a [100] crystal surfacewill take on a [100] orientation. In some embodiments, the epitaxialdeposition process is a selective deposition method, in which theepitaxial semiconductor material is formed only on semiconductormaterial deposition surfaces. The epitaxial deposition process will notform epitaxial semiconductor material on dielectric surfaces.

In some embodiments, the epitaxial semiconductor material that providesthe source and drain regions 11, 13 can be composed of silicon (Si),germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon doped with carbon(Si:C) or a combination thereof. In one example, the p-type source anddrain regions are provided by silicon germanium (SiGe) epitaxialsemiconductor material. In one embodiment, a number of different sourcescan be used for the epitaxial deposition of the epitaxial semiconductormaterial that provides the source and drain regions 11, 13.

Examples of silicon including source gasses can include silane,disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane, hexachlorodisilane, tetrachlorosilane,dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane, methylsilane, dimethylsilane,ethylsilane, methyldisilane, dimethyldisilane, hexamethyldisilane andcombinations thereof.

Examples of germanium including source gasses for epitaxially formingthe epitaxial semiconductor material of a germanium containingsemiconductor include germane, digermane, halogermane, dichlorogermane,trichlorogermane, tetrachlorogermane and combinations thereof.

Epitaxial deposition can be carried out in a chemical vapor depositionapparatus, such as a metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)apparatus or a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)apparatus. The temperature for epitaxial deposition typically rangesfrom about 550° C. to about 900° C. Although higher temperaturetypically results in faster deposition, the faster deposition can resultin crystal defects and film cracking.

The epitaxial semiconductor material that provides the source and drainregions 11, 13 can be in situ doped to a p-type conductivity or ann-type conductivity. The term “in situ” denotes that a dopant, e.g.,n-type or p-type dopant, is introduced to the base semiconductormaterial, e.g., silicon or silicon germanium, during the formation ofthe base material. For example, an in situ doped epitaxial semiconductormaterial can introduce p-type dopants to the material being formedduring the epitaxial deposition process that includes p-type sourcegasses.

As used herein, “p-type” refers to the addition of impurities to anintrinsic semiconductor that creates deficiencies of valence electrons.In a type IV semiconductor, such as silicon, examples of p-type dopants,i.e., impurities, include but are not limited to, boron, aluminum,gallium and indium. The p-type gas dopant source can include diborane(B₂H₆). In some embodiments, the epitaxial deposition process forforming the epitaxial semiconductor material for the source and drainregions 11, 13 can continue until the epitaxial semiconductor materialthat is formed on adjacent fin structures contact one another to formmerged epitaxial semiconductor material.

As used herein, “n-type” refers to the addition of impurities thatcontributes free electrons to an intrinsic semiconductor. In a type IVsemiconductor, such as silicon, examples of n-type dopants, i.e.,impurities, include but are not limited to antimony, arsenic andphosphorous.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate 10 can be a semiconductor oran insulator with an active surface semiconductor layer. The substrate10 can be crystalline, semi-crystalline, microcrystalline, or amorphous.The substrate 10 can be essentially (i.e., except for contaminants) asingle element (e.g., silicon), primarily (i.e., with doping) of asingle element, for example, silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge), or thesubstrate 10 can include a compound, for example, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, GaAs,SiC, or SiGe. The substrate 10 can also have multiple material layers,for example, a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate (SeOI), asilicon-on-insulator substrate (SOI), germanium-on-insulator substrate(GeOI), or silicon-germanium-on-insulator substrate (SGOI). Thesubstrate 10 can also have other layers forming the substrate 10including high-k oxides and/or nitrides. In one or more embodiments, thesubstrate 10 can be a silicon wafer. In an embodiment, the substrate 10is a single crystal silicon wafer.

The gate insulation layer 12 can be comprised of a variety of differentmaterials, such as, for example, silicon dioxide, a so-called high-k (kgreater than 10) insulation material (where k is the relative dielectricconstant), etc. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials for thehigh-k dielectric material include oxides, nitrides, oxynitrides,silicates (e.g., metal silicates), aluminates, titanates, nitrides, orany combination thereof.

In various embodiments, the high-k material can include but is notlimited to metal oxides such as hafnium oxide (e.g., HfO₂), hafniumsilicon oxide (e.g., HfSiO₄), hafnium silicon oxynitride(Hf_(w)Si_(x)O_(y)N_(z)), lanthanum oxide (e.g., La₂O₃), lanthanumaluminum oxide (e.g., LaAlO₃), zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO₂), zirconiumsilicon oxide (e.g., ZrSiO₄), zirconium silicon oxynitride(Zr_(w)Si_(x)O_(y)N_(z)), tantalum oxide (e.g., TaO₂, Ta₂O₅), titaniumoxide (e.g., TiO₂), barium strontium titanium oxide (e.g.,BaTiO₃—SrTiO₃), barium titanium oxide(e.g., BaTiO₃), strontium titaniumoxide(e.g., SrTiO₃), yttrium oxide (e.g., Y₂O₃), aluminum oxide (e.g.,Al₂O₃), lead scandium tantalum oxide (Pb(Sc_(x)Ta_(1-x))O₃), and leadzinc niobate (e.g., PbZn_(1/3) Nb_(2/3) O₃). The high-k material canfurther include dopants such as lanthanum and/or aluminum. Thestoichiometry of the high-K compounds can vary.

In various embodiments, the high-k material can have a thickness in therange of about 1 nm to about 3 nm.

The high-k dielectric material layer can be formed by suitabledeposition processes, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD),plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layerdeposition (ALD), evaporation, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemicalsolution deposition, or other like processes. The thickness of thehigh-k dielectric material can vary depending on the deposition processas well as the composition and number of high-k dielectric materialsused.

In some embodiments, the ILD 14 is planarized. The ILD 14 can extend toa top surface of the TS contacts 16. The height of the ILD 14 isapproximately equal to the height of the gate contacts 18, 20.

In various embodiments, the height of the ILD 14 can be reduced bychemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) and/or etching. Therefore, theplanarization process can be provided by CMP. Other planarizationprocess can include grinding and polishing.

In one or more embodiments, the ILD 14 can have a thickness in the rangeof about 3 nm to about 10 nm, or in the range of about 3 nm to about 5nm.

The ILD 14 can be selected from the group consisting of siliconcontaining materials such as SiO₂, Si₃N₄, SiO_(x)N_(y), SiC, SiCO,SiCOH, and SiCH compounds, the above-mentioned silicon containingmaterials with some or all of the Si replaced by Ge, carbon dopedoxides, inorganic oxides, inorganic polymers, hybrid polymers, organicpolymers such as polyamides or SiLK™, other carbon containing materials,organo-inorganic materials such as spin-on glasses andsilsesquioxane-based materials, and diamond-like carbon (DLC), alsoknown as amorphous hydrogenated carbon, α-C:H). Additional choices forthe ILD 14 include any of the aforementioned materials in porous form,or in a form that changes during processing to or from being porousand/or permeable to being non-porous and/or non-permeable.

In one or more embodiments, the gate contacts or structure 18, 20 can beof a material such as polysilicon or amorphous silicon, or the gatecontacts 18, 20 can be comprised of one or more metal layers that act asthe gate electrode. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art,the gate structures 18, 20 of the transistor devices depicted in thedrawings, i.e., are intended to be representative in nature. That is,the gate structures 18, 20 can be comprised of a variety of differentmaterials and can have a variety of configurations, and the gatestructures 18, 20 can be made using either the so-called “gate-first” or“replacement gate” techniques.

The spacers 23 can be formed by deposition followed by a directionaletch (e.g., RIE). Spacers 23 can be formed along the sidewalls of thegate structures 18, 20. For example, spacer material such as a nitride(e.g., silicon nitride) can be deposited in a conventional manner, suchas by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD).Other techniques, which can be suitable for deposition of a nitridelayer, include low-pressure CVD (LPCVD) and atmospheric pressure (CVD)(APCVD). Portions of the deposited nitride layer are subsequently etchedaway in a conventional manner to form the spacers 23. Spacer materialcan be silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, SiBCN, SiOCN,SiOC, or any suitable combination of those materials.

In various embodiments, the materials and layers can be deposited byphysical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomiclayer deposition (ALD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), or any of thevarious modifications thereof, for example plasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD), metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), electron-beamphysical vapor deposition (EB-PVD), and plasma-enhanced atomic layerdeposition (PE-ALD). The depositions can be epitaxial processes, and thedeposited material can be crystalline. In various embodiments, formationof a layer can be by one or more deposition processes, where, forexample, a conformal layer can be formed by a first process (e.g., ALD,PE-ALD, etc.) and a fill can be formed by a second process (e.g., CVD,electrodeposition, PVD, etc.).

FIG. 2 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 1illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contacts,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The top view illustrates the TS contacts 16 and the gate contacts 18,20. The gate contacts 18, 20 are shown adjacent the TS contacts 16.

As used herein, the term “selective” in reference to a material removalprocess denotes that the rate of material removal for a first materialis greater than the rate of removal for at least another material of thestructure to which the material removal process is being applied. Forexample, in one embodiment, a selective etch can include an etchchemistry that removes a first material selectively to a second materialby a ratio of 10:1 or greater, e.g., 100:1 or greater, or 1000:1 orgreater.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 1where the TS contacts are recessed, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

In various embodiments, the TS contacts 16 are recessed by a distance“X” to create recesses or gaps or cavities 22. The TS contacts 16 can berecessed by etching. The etching can include a dry etching process suchas, for example, reactive ion etching, plasma etching, ion etching orlaser ablation. The etching can further include a wet chemical etchingprocess in which one or more chemical etchants are used to removeportions of the blanket layers that are not protected by the patternedphotoresist. The patterned photoresist can be removed utilizing anashing process. In one example embodiment, RIE is performed.

In an example embodiment, a high density plasma CVD and etching processoperation (hereinafter “HDP CVD-etching process”) can be performed. Ingeneral, the HDP CVD-etching process is a combination of deposition/etchcycles. The HDP CVD-etching process typically involves performing aseries of CVD deposition and etching processes in a common processchamber without breaking vacuum or transferring the wafer to anotherchamber, e.g., deposition-etch-deposition-etch, etc. The number andduration of the deposition-etch sequences performed in the HDPCVD-etching process may vary depending upon the particular applicationand may vary depending upon factors such as the depth and CD of theopening into which the material is to be deposited. The preciseparameters of the HDP CVD-etching process for any particular applicationmay need to be determined based upon experimentation and testingtechniques that are within the skill level of those skilled in the art.In one embodiment, the HDP CVD-etching process involves use of SiH₄,N₂/NH₃ and Ar, where the argon has a sputtering type effect at the sametime CVD film deposition is occurring. In one embodiment, during theetching portion of the HDP CVD-etching process, NF₃ is used as anetchant gas.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 3illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsafter recessing of the TS contacts is performed, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

The top view illustrates the TS contacts 16 and the gate contacts 18,20. The gate contacts 18, 20 are shown adjacent the TS contacts 16. FIG.4 is exactly the same as FIG. 2. In other words, after recessing of theTS contacts 16, the top view remains the same.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 3where the recessed TS sections are filled with a dielectric, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In various embodiments, the recesses or gaps or cavities 22 are filledwith a dielectric 24. The dielectric 24 can be, e.g., silicon carbide(SiC). In another embodiment, the dielectric 24 can be, e.g., siliconcarbide nitride (SiCN).

FIG. 6 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 5illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsafter the TS contacts are filled with the dielectric, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

The top view illustrates the TS contacts 16 and the gate contacts 18,20. The gate contacts 18, 20 are shown adjacent the TS contacts 16. TheTS contacts 16 are shown filled with the dielectric 24.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 5where the gate contacts are metallized, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

In various embodiments, the gate contacts 18, 20 are metallized bydepositing metal layer 26. Metal layer 26 preferably comprises any metalsuitable for effectively conducting electricity, including, but notlimited to, copper, gold, nickel-titanium alloy and combinationscomprising at least one of the foregoing metals. Metallization can beperformed by any suitable metal deposition technique, including, but notlimited to, sputtering, evaporating, electroplating, electroless platingand combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing metaldeposition techniques.

By way of example only, blanket metallization techniques can be employedto apply metal layer 26. Specifically, metal layer 26 can be applied byblanket metallizing all exposed surfaces by electroplating to asufficient thickness of, for example, copper. The electroplating ispreferably followed by the application of a photoresist and thesubsequent exposure of the photoresist, e.g., by light, through aphotomask. The photoresist is developed, exposing the areas desired tobe etched away.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 7illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsincluding the added metallization layer, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

The top view illustrates the metal layer 26 extending along a portionthe gate contacts 18, 20. The metal layer 26 is adjacent or in thevicinity of the TS contacts 16 filled with the dielectric 24.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure of FIG. 7where the TS contacts are metallized, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

In various embodiments, the TS contacts 16 are metallized by depositingmetal layer 28. Metal layer 28 preferably comprises any metal suitablefor effectively conducting electricity, including, but not limited to,copper, gold, nickel-titanium alloy and combinations comprising at leastone of the foregoing metals. Metallization can be performed by anysuitable metal deposition technique, including, but not limited to,sputtering, evaporating, electroplating, electroless plating andcombinations comprising at least one of the foregoing metal depositiontechniques.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the semiconductor structure of FIG. 9illustrating the top portion of the gate contacts and the TS contactsincluding the added metallization layers for both gate and TS contacts,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The top view illustrates the metal layer 28 extending along a portion ofthe dielectric layer 24 deposited over the TS contacts 16.

FIG. 11 is a top-down or layout view of the SRAM memory, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

The layout view depicts a plurality of gate conductors 40 (PC).CT-in-POC 42 refers to an integration scheme for CT (gate cut). Theconventional way for CT is right before or right after PC (gate) orintegrated in PC (gate) patterning process. However, the CT-in-POC 42scheme refers to moving the gate cut process step to the downstreammodule, which is poly open CMP. It is performed during post-spacer SDformation and pre-metal deposition steps. A plurality of fins 44 arealso shown.

In older technologies, the CA and CB contacts were typically formed atthe same time. However, as device dimensions and gate pitch dimensionsdecreased, the formation of self-aligned contacts has become necessaryso as to avoid creating an electrical short between the CA contact andthe gate structure. Typically, the gate structure is fully encapsulatedby a silicon nitride cap layer and a silicon nitride sidewall spacer. Alayer of insulating material, such as silicon dioxide, is formed on thesubstrate adjacent the gate structure and above the source/drainregions. To form the opening for the self-aligned source/drain contactstructure (CA), an RIE process is typically performed to remove thesilicon dioxide material selectively relative to the silicon nitridematerials that encapsulate the gate structure. Since formation of thecontact opening for the gate contact (CB) necessarily had to involveetching through the silicon nitride gate cap layer, the formation of theCA contacts and the CB contact could not be performed at the same time.That is, performing a common CA/CB etching process with an etchant thatwould remove portions of the silicon nitride gate cap layer (so as toform the CB contact opening) would consume the protective siliconnitride sidewall spacers and the silicon nitride gate cap layer adjacentthe contact openings for the CA contacts, thereby exposing the gatestructure to the CA contact openings.

FIG. 12 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 11 where TS masksare applied, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

TS mask 46 is applied to the SRAM memory in order to etch the TScontacts.

FIG. 13 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 12 where TSmetallization takes place, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

The TS contacts are metallized with a metal 48, e.g., Tungsten (W).Metallization can be performed by any suitable metal depositiontechnique, including, but not limited to, sputtering, evaporating,electroplating, electroless plating and combinations comprising at leastone of the foregoing metal deposition techniques.

FIG. 14 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 13 where TS contactsare recessed and filled with a dielectric, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

The TS contacts are recessed and filled with a dielectric 50. Thedielectric 24 can be, e.g., silicon carbide (SiC). In anotherembodiment, the dielectric 24 can be, e.g., silicon carbide nitride(SiCN).

FIG. 15 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 14 where CB isformed for gate contacts, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

The plugs in ohmic contacts (CB) 52 are formed and the CD contacts 54are also formed. The gate contact patterning can be performed by twooptical lithography masks due to tight pitches (which are CB and CD).Also, in another embodiment, gate contact patterning can performed byone mask (e.g., EUV) to obtain a tight pitch.

Additionally, CB to TS can be pushed further than 34 nm. The TS caplayer prevents any CB-to-TS shorts, which is a key feature that improvesdensity scaling.

D1 is the distance between the CB contact 52 and the TS contact filledwith dielectric 24. Conventionally, D1 is decided by the insulating filmthickness, which is required to meet reliability criteria andpatterning/process variability. However, in the exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention there is a dielectric cap on TS. Therefore, D1 canbe suppressed.

FIG. 16 is a layout view of the SRAM memory of FIG. 15 where CA isformed for TS contacts, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The CA contacts 58 are formed and then metallized, and CA etches throughthe TS cap to connect TS.

FIG. 17 is a block/flow diagram of an exemplary method for forming asemiconductor device, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

At block 100, gate contacts are formed on a semiconductor substrate.

At block 102, trench silicide (TS) contacts are formed on thesemiconductor substrate.

At block 104, the TS contacts are recessed to form a gap region.

At block 106, the gap region of the recessed TS contacts is filled witha dielectric.

At block 108, the gate contacts are selectively etched to form a firstconducting layer.

At block 110, the TS contacts are selectively etched to form a secondconducting layer.

It is to be understood that the present invention will be described interms of a given illustrative architecture; however, otherarchitectures, structures, substrate materials and process features andsteps/blocks can be varied within the scope of the present invention.

It will also be understood that when an element such as a layer, regionor substrate is referred to as being “on” or “over” another element, itcan be directly on the other element or intervening elements can also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon” or “directly over” another element, there are no interveningelements present. It will also be understood that when an element isreferred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it canbe directly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to asbeing “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element,there are no intervening elements present.

The present embodiments can include a design for an integrated circuitchip, which can be created in a graphical computer programming language,and stored in a computer storage medium (such as a disk, tape, physicalhard drive, or virtual hard drive such as in a storage access network).If the designer does not fabricate chips or the photolithographic masksused to fabricate chips, the designer can transmit the resulting designby physical mechanisms (e.g., by providing a copy of the storage mediumstoring the design) or electronically (e.g., through the Internet) tosuch entities, directly or indirectly. The stored design is thenconverted into the appropriate format (e.g., GDSII) for the fabricationof photolithographic masks, which typically include multiple copies ofthe chip design in question that are to be formed on a wafer. Thephotolithographic masks are utilized to define areas of the wafer(and/or the layers thereon) to be etched or otherwise processed.

Methods as described herein can be used in the fabrication of integratedcircuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can be distributedby the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that hasmultiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In thelatter case, the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as aplastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or otherhigher level carrier) or in a multichip package (such as a ceramiccarrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buriedinterconnections). In any case, the chip is then integrated with otherchips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devicesas part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or(b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includesintegrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-endapplications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboardor other input device, and a central processor.

It should also be understood that material compounds will be describedin terms of listed elements, e.g., SiGe. These compounds includedifferent proportions of the elements within the compound, e.g., SiGeincludes Si_(x)Ge_(1-x) where x is less than or equal to 1, etc. Inaddition, other elements can be included in the compound and stillfunction in accordance with the present embodiments. The compounds withadditional elements will be referred to herein as alloys.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present invention, as well as other variations thereof, means that aparticular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment ofthe present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following “/”,“and/or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A/B”, “Aand/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A andB). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at leastone of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listedoption (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listedoptions (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listedoptions (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listedoptions (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and Band C). This can be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinaryskill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presenceor addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components and/or groups thereof.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, can be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element's or feature's relationship to another element(s)or feature(s) as illustrated in the FIGS. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the FIGS. For example, if the device in theFIGS. is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein can be interpreted accordingly. In addition, itwill also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being“between” two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers,or one or more intervening layers can also be present.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. canbe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another element. Thus, a first element discussed belowcould be termed a second element without departing from the scope of thepresent concept.

Having described preferred embodiments of a method of device fabricationand a semiconductor device thereby fabricated for SRAM density scalingby using middle of line (MOL) flow (which are intended to beillustrative and not limiting), it is noted that modifications andvariations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of theabove teachings. It is therefore to be understood that changes may bemade in the particular embodiments described which are within the scopeof the invention as outlined by the appended claims. Having thusdescribed aspects of the invention, with the details and particularityrequired by the patent laws, what is claimed and desired protected byLetters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor structure comprising: a pluralityof gate contacts formed on a semiconductor substrate; and a plurality oftrench silicide (TS) contacts formed on the semiconductor substrate,wherein the plurality of gate contacts and the plurality of TS contactsare disposed in an alternating manner, the plurality of TS contactsrecessed to form gap regions thereabove; wherein only the gap regions ofthe plurality of the recessed TS contacts are selectively filled with adielectric, a common first conducting layer is disposed over anddirectly contacts a portion of each of the plurality of gate contacts,and a second conducting layer having a first portion, a second portion,and a third portion directly contacts a top surface of each of theplurality of TS contacts, the first and second conducting layers beingphysically separate by the dielectric and distinct from each other,wherein the first, second, and third portions of the second conductinglayer are separated from each other by the plurality of gate contacts.2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gate contacts areformed between the plurality of TS contacts.
 3. The structure of claim1, wherein the dielectric is silicon carbide (SiC).
 4. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein the dielectric is silicon carbide nitride (SiCN). 5.The structure of claim 1, wherein the first and second conducting layersare constructed from a same material.
 6. The structure of claim 1,wherein the first and second conducting layers are Tungsten (W).
 7. Thestructure of claim 1, wherein the plurality of TS contacts are formedover source/drain regions.
 8. A semiconductor structure for performingstatic random access memory (SRAM) density scaling, the structurecomprising: a plurality of gate contacts and a plurality of trenchsilicide (TS) contacts formed disposed in an alternating manner over asemiconductor substrate; gap regions formed after recessing theplurality of TS contacts; a dielectric for selectively filling only thegap regions of the plurality of recessed TS contacts; a common firstmetal layer disposed over and directly contacting the plurality of gatecontacts; and a second metal layer having a first portion, a secondportion, and a third portion disposed after the dielectric is recessedand after the first metal layer is formed, the second metal layercontacting a top surface of each of the plurality of TS contacts, andthe first and second metal layers being physically separate by thedielectric and distinct from each other, wherein the first, second, andthird portions of the second metal layer are separated from each otherby the plurality of gate contacts.
 9. The structure of claim 8, whereinthe plurality of gate contacts are formed between the plurality of TScontacts.
 10. The structure of claim 8, wherein the dielectric issilicon carbide (SiC).
 11. The structure of claim 8, wherein thedielectric is silicon carbide nitride (SiCN).
 12. The structure of claim8, wherein the first and second metal layers are constructed from a samematerial.
 13. The structure of claim 8, wherein the first and secondmetal layers are Tungsten (W).
 14. The structure of claim 8, wherein theplurality of TS contacts are formed over source/drain regions.
 15. Thestructure of claim 14, wherein the source/drain regions directly contactsidewall spacers disposed adjacent the plurality of gate contacts. 16.The structure of claim 8, further comprising metallizing a portion ofthe plurality of gate contacts.
 17. The structure of claim 16, whereinthe metallizing includes depositing tungsten (W).
 18. The structure ofclaim 8, wherein the plurality of gate contacts are formed directly onthe semiconductor substrate.